Text Philippians 4:1-9
Introduction
Intro: People DON’T WANT to worry, but they do – a lot! People DO WANT peace of mind but they don’t understand how it works or where to get it. Some time back the Gallup organization polled Americans about their most important criteria for judging personal success. They apparently gave them a list of 20 or 30 different options, and these were the results:
Good health came in 1st - 58%
Second, an enjoyable job - 49%
A happy family was third - 45%
A good education, fourth - 39%.
Peace of mind, fifth - 34%
Good friends, sixth - 25%
Materialistic factors as unlimited money, a luxury car, and an expensive home brought up the rear.
I found it interesting that one of the top 5 qualities of a “successful life” was peace of mind, something God has promised to share with us. Isaiah prophesied that when the King came, he would be called “The Prince of Peace, and of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end...” Isaiah 9:6-7 Jesus came with “peace, good will toward men” Luke 2:14 riding a donkey, not a war horse. So, not only do humans highly prize peace… so does God.
As I thought back over the last couple years with eruptions of trouble/violence in America, nasty verbal exchanges, and the war in Ukraine, I still think that people universally want peace. The problem is - they want peace on THEIR terms. Many people believe they will experience peace of mind when they get revenge. Many will experience peace only when their political party is in power. Many will experience peace only when things go the way THEY want them to go. But God’s peace is different than the kind of peace the world pursues. Jesus said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives…” John 14:27 God wants to give us peace no matter what happens to us in our lives. That’s because God’s kind of peace is dependent upon His Spirit being IN us… not upon the momentary difficulties that we encounter in this world. Sheila Walsh wrote it down, “Peace is not the absence of trouble. Peace is the presence of Christ, our Advent King.”
Sermon
1. Peace with One Another
1.1 How to see diversity in the body of Christ. Political/social tolerance today appears to be a ripe field for verbal abuse and violence. People are convinced that if you don’t gripe & complain & argue & fight for everything you want in life, you’ll never get it. But in the church it’s different, isn’t it? After all, we’re Christians saved by the grace of God. And since we all have that in common, we always get along with each other, never disagreeing. Right? Wrong! We do disagree at times. Even though we all want to serve our Lord, there are still times that we disagree on how to do ministry. For instance, some might feel we ought to go to the bank & borrow all the money we can borrow, buy more land & build all the buildings they needed immediately. But others felt that they shouldn’t borrow at all. Instead, we ought to wait & not build anything until we could pay cash for it. Some may feel we’re giving way too much to missions. Others said, "We’re not giving enough to missions. We need to give more!" That’s not a surprise. Because most people can’t even agree with themselves… But the question is, what do we do with the diversity?
Do we allow it to cripple us? Do we say, "We’re so diverse we’ll never agree, so therefore we won’t do anything?" Or do we move forward prayerfully, realizing that some will disagree with whatever course we take? The Bible gives us guidance. It teaches that the way for the church to solve the problem of diverse opinions is to select elders who are in tune with God and also in tune with the needs of the congregation. And as they seek God’s guidance in the decisions that have to be made, we pray for them, we get behind them, and we support them.
1.2 How to disagree without hurting each other. I’ve chosen a wider context for the sermon than in the Epistle, Philippians 4:2-3, "I plead with Euodia & I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, & I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement & the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life." Two women, both of them committed Christians who had worked side by side with the Apostle Paul, were having had a disagreement (we have no idea what they’ve disagreed about). So why in the midst of such an important letter, does Paul insert something so personal about two of the ladies in the congregation? Shouldn’t he have tried to solve this problem much more discreetly and privately? Well, maybe it is because it is important that the church communicate to the world that we don’t handle disagreements the same way that the world handles them - that we’re able to find common ground and agree to work in harmony with one another.
1.3 How to become a peacemaker. Notice what Paul does & what he doesn’t do. First of all, he doesn’t take sides. He doesn’t say, "Syntyche is right & Euodia is wrong. So you get out of here, Euodia." He doesn’t do that. Secondly, he doesn’t pull rank. He doesn’t say, "I’m the apostle here & therefore I say if you two don’t agree, you’re both out of here." Instead, he encourages them to find common ground where they can agree. He says, "I plead with (you) to agree with each other in the Lord." Do you remember what Paul wrote in Romans 12:18? There he says, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." There is something else that Paul does. He appoints a third party to intervene. In vs. 3 he’s called, "loyal yokefellow." We don’t know who he was, but whoever he was, he was a peacemaker. And Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Sons of God."
App: Not that long ago Racine/Kenosha had an upheaval with social / safety implications. Were you worried that it might affect your life? Did you pray for peace? Are you willing to make peace with others? There is nothing Satan would rather do than divide the church. If he can do that, he can so cripple the church that it won’t be effective in getting out the good news about Jesus So it’s important that we pledge to one another and to God that we’ll not allow ourselves to be used as pawns in the hand of Satan to divide His church. As we serve God together, we will be at peace with one another. “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Voucher Schools like Wisconsin Lutheran School are attempting to, as Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount, share salt and light in a world that is dark and dismal without his love.
2. Peace within
2.1 Know that the Lord is near. "Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus." Did you come this morning carrying a heavy burden? Maybe you’re worried about something. Maybe there is a problem in your life that just doesn’t seem to go away. Maybe you feel guilty because of some sins you have committed. Maybe you’re concerned about finances. Maybe you’re frustrated because you’re trying to get something accomplished & you can’t seem to get it done. Paul’s words are directed at all of us who carry burdens, which is all of us.
Paul’s in prison facing trial, soon to be executed. But in these verses, Paul writes a formula for developing peace within. He says, "Don’t worry. Let God handle it." Someone has observed that worry is the Christian’s most popular sin because it is one that we don’t even try to disguise. Worry is so common in our lives that we’re not even particularly ashamed of it. When we come to church we mouth all the right words, "Crown Him with many crowns. He’s Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He is Emanuel. God is with us." But then we leave church & forget that He’s with us. We forget He’s Lord and King. And we take all the burdens that we brought with us and put them right back on again. And we begin to worry more rather than less.
2.2 Know how to present your requests. . In Ephesians 3:16 Paul writes, "I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being." Paul is saying that even while we’re wasting away on the outside, if we’re Christians, we’re being strengthened and changed on the inside.
2.3 Express your thankfulness.
In Matthew 6, Jesus talks about worry. Now I know you’ve heard these words before, but please listen to them again. Listen how complete & inclusive they are… listen to it as though you were standing face to face with Jesus & he is looking right into your eyes as he speaks these words. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, & the body more important than clothes? ... Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? … your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom & His righteousness, & all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, or tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Thankfulness is the antidote to worry.
App: Someone has said that worry is assuming responsibility that God never intended us to have. We need to turn our worries over to Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."
3. Peace with God
3.1 He transforms us by bringing us SHALOM & Shalveh (see end). Shalom, “peace,” is one of the richest words in the Bible. You can no more define it by looking in the dictionary than you can define a person by his or her social security number. It gathers all aspects of wholeness that result from God’s will being completed in us. It is the work of God that, when complete, releases streams of living water in us and pulsates with eternal life. Every time Jesus healed, forgave or called someone, we have a demonstration of shalom. And Shalvah, “prosperity.” It has nothing to do with insurance policies or large bank accounts or stockpiles of weapons. The root meaning of leisure-the relaxed stance of one who knows that everything is all right because God is over us, with us and over us and for us in Jesus Christ. It is the security of being at home in a history that has a cross at its center. It is the leisure of the person who knows that every moment of our existence is at the disposal of God, lived under the mercy of God.
3.2 Here are eight filters – let everything you hear and see pass through them. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." There is so much garbage in this world. And the old saying "garbage in, garbage out" is true. So think about it. Can the movies you see, and the TV programs you watch, and the music you listen to pass through these 8 filters? Paul says, "Put everything through these 8 filters. If it’s not true, then don’t welcome it. If it’s not noble, if it’s not right, or pure or lovely or admirable or excellent or praiseworthy, don’t let it find a home in your heart. And if you’ll use these filters you’ll have peace with God."
Jesus said, John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." People who greeted his Palm Sunday parade poured forth faith.
3.3 Breathe in his grace; breathe out his praise. Pray… IN WITH Scripture to hear him; OUT WITH faith/focus. 'Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise he has no thought, wish or hope." (Luther) CONCENTRATE ON THE LORD! The only way to survive this world is to focus on the Lord! Let us fix our eyes on Jesus!
Conclusion: He Himself is our Peace!
His disciples were in the upper room, they were fearful for their own lives. Their leader was dead, and their future uncertain. Just then Jesus appeared through locked doors and spoke to them. Do you remember what He said? Max Lucado puts it this way: "The betrayed sought His betrayers. And what did He say to them? Not, `What a bunch of flops you are.’ Not, `I told you so.’ And there was no `Where were you when I really needed you,’ speech. "No, his first words were just one simple phrase, `Peace be with you.’ The very thing that they didn’t have was the very thing that He offered - peace. And He still offers it to us today." His first words to them even after betrayal were, “Peace be with you!” As then, it is now – his person and his appearance transform those who see and hear him. His peace guards our hearts and minds, forever.
Do you have it? Did you come into God’s house this morning with it? Or did you find yourself carrying burdens that were too heavy to carry? And are you going to leave here with those burdens still? Or are you going to turn them over to Jesus? I know One who died on a cross for your sins. And I know One who shed his precious blood so that you can have everlasting life. And I know that he is available to you this morning, and that you acknowledge him as your Savior simply by coming and confessing your faith in him, and giving yourself to him. Hosanna to the King!